Lock assembly for connecting a vibrating core of a concrete pipe making machine

ABSTRACT

A PIPE FORMING APPARATUS COMPRISING A PIPE FORM AND A PLATFORM FOR SUPPORTING THE PIPE FORM WITH MEANS FOR INSERTING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE PIPE FORM AND A ROTATING PACKERHEAD FOR DISTRIBUTING THE MATERIAL IN THE FORM, AND A POWERED MAIN LIFT MECHANISM FOR RAISING THE PACKERHEAD AFTER IT HAS DISTRIBUTED AND FORMED THE PIPE, AND A NON-ROTATING VIBRATORY CORE ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF THE PIPE FORM AND MEANS FOR DETACHABLY ENGAGING SAID CORE WITH SAID ROTATING PACKERHEAD, AND AN UPWARDLY MOVABLE GUIDE SYSTEM FOR SAID VIBRATORY CORE, WITH SAID DETACHABLY ENGAGING MEANS INCLUDING A HYDRAULIC SYSTEM AND AN UPWARDLY MOVABLE SLEEVE MEMBER ADAPTED TO ENCOMPASS A BIASED LOCKING COLLAR TO MAINTAIN SAID PACKERHEAD AND CORE IN INTERENGAGED RELATIONSHIP UNTIL SAID HYDRAULIC SYSTEM IS MOVED DOWNWARDLY.

FQRD ETAL EC'IING A VIBR PE MAKING MACHINE 3,701,617 ATING CORE 0d. 31,1972 R, c w

' LOCK ASSEMBLY FOR 0 OF A CONCRETE Filed Jan.

United States Patent 3,701,617 LOCK ASSEMBLY FOR CONNECTING A VIBRAT-ING CORE OF A CONCRETE PIPE MAKING MACHINE Gerald R. Crawford and JosephF. Wenther, Sioux City, Iowa, assignors to Concrete Pipe MachineryCompany, Sioux City, Iowa Filed Jan. 12, 1971, Ser. No. 105,877 Int. Cl.B28b 21/28 US. Cl. 425-186 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pipeforming apparatus comprising a pipe form and a platform for supportingthe pipe form with means for inserting cementitious materials into theinterior of the pipe form and a rotating packerhead for distributing thematerial in the form, and a powered main lift mechanism for raising thepaokerhead after it has distributed and formed the pipe, and anon-rotating vibratory core adapted to be inserted through the bottom ofthe pipe form and means for detachably engaging said core with saidrotating packerhead, and an upwardly movable guide system for saidvibratory core, with said detachably engaging means including ahydraulic system and an upwardly movable sleeve member adapted toencompass a biased locking collar to maintain said packerhead and corein interengaged relationship until said hydraulic system is moveddownwardly.

The present invention generally relates to the formation of concretepipe, and particularly eliminates the prob lem of residual straincreated by the troweling of zero slump concrete with rotary motion.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pipe formingapparatus in which the cementitious material is disposed within acylindrical pipe form and in which a rotary packerhead is insertedwithin the pipe form to distribute and form the pipe without such rotarypackerhead inviting a stress to the concrete mix, by utilizing avibratory core with novel means for detachably connecting the vibratorycore to the packerhead or rollerhead.

The present invention is an improvement over the pipe forming apparatusdisclosed in application Ser. No. 867,- 344 in the US. Patent Office.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novelstructure for detachably connecting a rotary paokerhead to anon-rotatable core by utilizing a cylindrical housing in which isdisposed a movable sleeve member operatively connected to a hydraulicsystem for moving the sleeve member so as to encompass a lock collardisposed in the housing, which look collar has an extension springmember normally urging it into a contracted position to engage anon-rotatable stud member disposed on the lower end of the rotatablepaokerhead.

Various objects and advantages of the present invention will be readilyapparent from the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof and inwhich.

FIG. 1 illustrates the invention as applied to a concrete pipe makingmachine of the type commonly used in the industry, and as described inthe aforementioned patent application,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the detachable looking or engagingmeans which connects the packerhead to the vibratory core, illustratedin a locked position,

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating the locking means asthe packerhead and the vibratory core are being disengaged, and

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral generally designates apipe making machine, as described in US. patent aplication Ser. No.867,844 filed Oct. 1 3, 1969, and includes a pipe form 11 with a spigot12 and a lower frustoconical skirt forming a bell end 14, as describedin the earlier pending application. A platform 16 is provided for theform 11, and includes a central opening 18 therein disposed below thebell end 14. The platform 16 can be a turntable for indexing of work.

A pallet 20 is disposed within the end 14 of the pipe form and isslightly movable vertically within the bell end 14 for initial formationof the bell end of the pipe, as described in the earlier mentionedapplication. A conveyor 28 is provided for filling the pipe form, and anonrotatable vibratory core 60 is provided for insertion into the lowerend of the pipe form and is disposed for movement above the upper end ofthe pipe form as described in the earlier application. The core isprovided with a vibrator 62 for vibrating the core 60 and a pit 36 inwhich is contained the major portion of the hydraulic system, includingthe hydraulic cylinder 3'8 and the piston rod 40 for moving the core 60from a position below the pipe form to the full line positionillustrated in FIG. 1, as also described and disclosed in the earliermentioned patent application.

The pipe forming operation begins by the lowering of the paokerhead 30together with the housing 88 and the pilot stud 94 on to the pipe form11 and the raising of the core 60 by the fluid pressure in cylinder 38as described in the earlier patent application.

In accordance with the present invention, a novel means is provided forjoining the core 60 with the rotating packerhead or distributor 30.Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the locking assembly comprises a cylindricalhousing 106- secured by bolt members 108 to a hydraulic cylinder 112 inwhich is disposed a piston, not shown, which is provided with a pistonrod 114 extending out of the upper end thereof. The upper end of thepiston rod 114 has a pin 1'16 extending therethrough and through alignedopening in a sleeve member 118 secured to a circular plate 120 closingolf the lower end of a lock sleeve 122 disposed within the housing 106.The plate 120 is provided with vertical openings or slots 124 thereinfor receiving therethrough a plurality of vertical rods 126 secured attheir lower ends to the plate 128 forming the lower end of the housing106. The upper ends of the rods 126 are provided with screws 129 whichsecure a retaining ring 138 thereto.

The retainer ring is provided with an annular upwardly extending rim 134adjacent its upper end to form an annular seat 136 therearound uponwhich is disposed an expansible lock collar or chuck 138.

The collar 138, as best seen in FIG. 4, is made up of a plurality ofarcuate segments 140, all of which taken together form an annularmember. The segments are normally urged inwardly or held together by anextension spring 142 disposed in a circumferential groove 144 extendingaround the outer periphery of the segments 140. The spring 142 normallyurges the segments inwardly against the outer surface of the annular rim134 on retaining ring 133, as best seen in FIG. 2. The bottoms of thesegments are provided with a cutaway or recessed portion 142 therein soas to provide a shoulder which bears against the outer surface of therim 134.

The pilot stud 94 is similar with that described in the above mentionedpatent application and is formed on the lower end of the support shaftof the rotating housing 88 and is tapered on its lower end as indicatedat 146 so as to housing 106 disposed within the core 60 to detachablyengage the rotary packerhead 30 to the stationary core 60 when desired.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the upper end of thelock sleeve 122 is provided with a beveled or outwardly tapered surface152 adjacent the upper portion thereof. The outer surface of the collar138 is provided with a complementary tapered or mating surface 154adjacent its outer periphery upon which the tapered surface 152 of thesleeve 122 abuts when the packerhead 30 and the housing 106 and its core60 in which it is disposed are interengaged or detachably lockedtogether.

In operation, when it is desired to attach the rotary packerhead 30 tothe non-rotatable core 60 so as to move the packerhead 30 and thestationary core 60 through the pipe form 11 during forming of the pipe,the packerhead 30 is moved downwardly through the pipe form 11, asdescribed in the above mentioned pending patent application and the core60 is moved upwardly into the lower end of the pipe form 11 by thehydraulic cylinder 38, as described in the above mentioned pendingpatent application until the pilot stud 94 is disposed adjacent the topof the core 60. Thereafter, the pilot stud 94 is moved downwardlythrough the opening in the cover of the housing 106 and into and throughthe collar 138, as illustrated in an exaggerated manner in FIG. 3. Thecambered surface of the stud 94 adjacent the lock recess 148 will causethe individual segments 140 of the collar to spread apart or to beseparated so that the stud will snap into the collar and the extensiblespring 142 will contract the segments around the stud when the recess148 is properly disposed or seated adjacent its complementary or matingsurface.

At this time, the sleeve 122 is disposed in the position shown in FIG. 3with its upper edge below the lower surface of the collar 138 so as notto interfere with the movement of the stud 94 into the annular collar138. Thereafter, the hydraulic cylinder 112 is actuated by means notshown, such as hydraulic pressure, to move its piston rod 114 upwardlyto the position illustrated in FIG. 2. The movement of the piston rod114 upwardly also moves the plate 120 therewith, which plate is guidedalong the rods 126. The piston rod is moved upwardly so that the sleeve122 now encompasses or surrounds the outer surface 154 of the collar andthe tapered surface 152 of the sleeve is then seated or abuts againstthe outer surface 154 of the collar so that the chuck is in itscontracted position and the stud 94 is interengaged or locked to thehousing 106 and the core 60. Thereafter the pipe forming operation iscompleted and the core and the packerhead 30 are moved upwardly throughthe pipe form 11, as described in the above mentioned pending patentapplication. Thereafter when it is desired to detach or disconnect thestud 94 from the housing 106 and the collar 138, the piston 114 is moveddownwardly into its hydraulic cylinder 112 and the sleeve 122 is movedfrom the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3 inwhich the tapered surface 152 is now disposed below the collar 138.Thereafter the packerhead 30 is moved upwardly and the stud 94 issnapped out of or withdrawn from the collar 138, as the movement of thestud upwardly will cause the lower end of the stud 94 to ride over theinner surface of the collar 138 and the resilient spring 142 will allowthe segments to be moved outwardly or separate so that the stud can bewithdrawn from the collar.

From the foregoing description it is readily apparent that the presentinvention provides a novel means for forming a pipe in which therotating packerhead and the non-rotating core utilized in forming thepipe can be readily detachably connected to each other and quicklydetached therefrom by a novel, compact, and sturdy structure that can beeasily manufactured in an economical manner.

Inasmuch as the location and arrangements of the relative parts may bechanged without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not to be limited to the abovedescription,'

except by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A pipe forming apparatus comprising a pipe form, a platform forsupporting said pipe form, a rotary packerhead with a stud member forinsertion into said pipe form to form the pipe, a non-rotary core forinsertion into said pipe form for connection to said rotary packerheadto form the pipe, a powered lift mechanism for raising and lowering saidpackerhead, another power mechanism for raising and lowering said core,and means secured to said core for detachably connecting said packerheadto said core, including a housing with an expansible chuck therein forreceiving said stud member and a movable sleeve therein for surroundingsaid chuck to detachably connect said packerhead to said core, andhydraulic means operatively connected to said housing for upwardmovement of said sleeve to encompass said chuck and lock said studmember in said chuck until said sleeve is moved downwardly.

2. The pipe forming apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing iscylindrical and said chuck comprises a plurality of segments disposedconcentrically about the inner surface thereof.

3. The pipe forming apparatus of claim 2 wherein biasing means areprovided for normally urging said segments in a contracted position.

4. The pipe forming apparatus of claim 3 wherein said segments comprisearcuate portions with a continuous recess in their outer peripheries.

5. The pipe forming apparatus of claim 4 wherein said biasing means is aspring member disposed in said recess.

6. The pipe forming apparatus of claim 3 wherein the outer surface ofsaid segments is tapered and said sleeve has a complementary taperedsurface along its upper inner surface for abutting said segment taperedsurface.

7. The pipe forming apparatus of claim 6 wherein said housing has anannular retaining ring and said chuck is disposed thereon.

8. The pipe forming apparatus of claim 7 wherein said housing hasupwardly extending rod members and said retaining ring is secured on topof them.

9. The pipe forming apparatus of claim 8 wherein said sleeve has a platesecured to its lower end and said plate has openings therein throughwhich said rod members extend.

10. The pipe forming apparatus of claim 9 wherein said hydraulic meansincludes a cylinder and piston rod secured to the lower end of thehousing and pin means are disposed on said piston rod for securing it tosaid plate.

11. The pipe forming apparatus of claim 10 wherein the inner surface ofsaid segments has a cambered inwardly extending surface and said pilotstud has a circumferential recess therein for receiving said inwardlyextending surface to lock said chuck to said stud.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,343,236 9/1967 Helms 2530 R3,334,390 8/1967 Steiro 25-39 J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner D.W. JONES, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

